Sports

Three takeaways from No. 3 Georgia's victory over No. 24 South Carolina

Georgia made an early statement Saturday with a convincing win over South Carolina.

Written ByAlec Brzezinski

No. 3 Georgia made an early and emphatic statement Saturday with a 41-17 win over No. 24 South Carolina.

After leading 20-10 at halftime, Georgia blew the game open in the third quarter with 21 unanswered points. The Bulldogs, playing on the road, had no problem moving the ball on the Gamecocks' normally stout defense.

Here are three takeaways from Georgia's win:

1. Ground game was key - Georgia ran the ball 52 times for 271 yards and three touchdowns. No one on the team had over 12 carries, and three different runners scored, but the Bulldogs bullied South Carolina at the line of scrimmage. Georgia lost Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to the NFL from last year's team - both were selected in the first two rounds of the draft - but it appears set to replace them with dynamic talent.

While Georgia averaged 5.2 yards per carry, South Carolina struggled on the ground, accumulating just 54 yards rushing yards on 20 carries. The Gamecocks' inability to get anything going between the tackles stopped them from maintaining drives and put more pressure on the passing attack.

2. Georgia efficient through the air - The Bulldogs didn't need to throw the football very often in this game, but starting quarterback Jake Fromm completed 15 of 18 for 194 yards and a touchdown. He did throw an early interception, but for the most part looked settled into the game.

Junior wide receiver Mecole Hardman looks like he's going to be a hand full this season. Though standing just 5-foot-11, the pacy receiver hauled in his second touchdown of the season, and eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the first time this year. If Georgia can remain consistent on the ground and through the air, they may be able to make it through the tough SEC.

3. South Carolina needs more stops - This may sound obvious, but the Gamecocks had actually done well through the first three quarters on third down, holding Georgia to 1-for-6 on third-down conversions. The trouble was, the Bulldogs didn't need third down often as they carved their way through South Carolina's defense.

If the Gamecocks are going to challenge for a major bowl game, they're going to need to tighten up on defense. Georgia had 473 total yards from scrimmage while South Carolina only had 336. The Bulldogs won time of possession by 11 minutes, so South Carolina needs to work on limiting opposing teams' offensive reps.